Guided by Books

Guided by Books

If you enter my front door, across from it is a huge wooden hutch. It's filled with mostly books and some small mementos. One of the sections is filled with philosophical and religious books. Enclosed beneath that, more books some religious. Too, there are compartments of books hidden from sight elsewhere in that room. 

Nearly every room in our home has books in it. Except the bathrooms. Oh well... There's probably 1,000 books in our house or close to that, maybe more.

Many books are hidden or on bookshelves placed so neatly, that you don't recognize that we have that many books. When I had an outside office, I had about 200 books, or so. I lost count. Mostly books medical in nature, some philosophical. I had religious books of various backgrounds as well. They were usually gifts from people well-meaning. I accepted their gifts. And to understand my clients I read some or all of them. When I was with them I wanted to be of their same mind. I wanted to be 'open to everything and attached to nothing'. I felt it helped them heal better from what ailed them. Or at least they knew I was on their side and wished them well on every level.

The thing about religious and philosophical books that most of us have either read or been taught or been preached to on. Generally they are guides. Hold your thought(s). I may be easily offensive because of my broader view. This is about taking a broad view, being human and reducing your worries. By the way I am the World Champion of being the Great Worrier. I have the crowning achievement of the notorious Blue Ribbon Worrier Award. I'm so great at worrying, I was going to start a school, "Worry No More". But then I worried; I'd take on other's worries and become prosaic in my teaching.

I digress. I'll saunter back to being guided by books. Most religious/philosophical books/teachings laws/doctrines give us guides of what not to do. As well, how to behave. Many present what may occur when a person misbehaves. Too, some religious books give prophetic alarms/signs of the end of life on earth as we know it. Most Christian religions have this as part of their Bible(s) and sermons.  

There are many ways to look at this. We can take it totally and unequivocally literal. We can believe portions that suit our living style. We can believe that it's all filled with metaphors and that nothing is literal. Or we can combine reason with some things taken literally and some metaphorically while questioning others. 

One thing I do is combine the later with nature of what we've had presented to us by science.  

Examples: 

Perhaps too many people are alive now for the agricultural support needed.

Diseases happen. It's part of the make up of being human. It happens to bugs, animals, plants, and so forth. It's natural, even if we think it's cruel. Trust me, as much as I bemoan another's suffering. This too is part of evolution. 

The earth shifting its weather patterns, some is human-made, some is naturally occurring, some is population driven.

Wars occur and have occurred since humans knew how to throw a rock for food at a neighbor to gain access for more food. 

Even with our evolution, there are still those overly greedy, insane, malicious mostly frontal lobe thinkers we have to contend with. Self-preservation is why we may allow for a bully to come into power. Too, pure unadulterated stupidity, unwillingness to change...'stiff-necked' people. That, we do still have. It's been perhaps always in existence. 

Most Americans don't face death. The most current psychological statistic is 93% of Americans do not accept their demise till they are actually dieing. 

Humans allow being preached to. Whether it is a clergy person, a parent, someone of authority and/or any news or infomercial program(s). We have a tendency to want to believe without impunity all the aforementioned. However, that's an issue, believing without impunity.

If we think we have no control over the future of the earth... our world. We are easily coerced into believing all is doomed. Thus, we may do nothing to thwart what we believe is inevitable. 

What is needed from us, is for us to remind ourselves and teach the children to question everything. Reason internally over and over again. Then inquire. If we give no reason for a fear, we build a negative cable inside ourselves and many times put it on others out of complete ambiguity.

I do realize everything I know, that I witness could end. Yet, I also know life will go on without me and the possibilities of all of us being doomed is quite slim. It is the reasonable, logical thought if the majority of us realize how we should take in stride all the religious and philosophical edicts are to be used as a guide, not as a damnation.

You can see the world as an unruly out of control place. Or you can see the world as a place with evolving positive possibilities. ---Jody-Lynn Reicher